INTERVIEW: Harri Endersby

Louise Henry talks to Harri Endersby about her debut album and her busy 2017

By Louise Henry
on Friday, June 30th, 2017

Image by Dan Millard

2017 has been quite a year for Harri Endersby. A debut album launch back in February, a packed out performance at Evolution Emerging just last month, and coming up, her first UK tour. Oh, and she’s got a new puppy, too.

As we catch up for the first time since the festival, the incredible reception she received at Ernest was bittersweet, as it was the final time her full band will perform together in it’s current line up. Drummer Curtis Pierce, who has played a huge part in the band’s formative years, is off to Canada for the foreseeable future. “Evo was amazing. People were up dancing and it was such a lovely atmosphere, a great send of for Curtis”. Speaking further about his impact on her music she says, “He’s been super encouraging, a real important influence on my music, he’ll be a huge miss”. After supporting Endersby through the production of her first album, Homes/Lives, I ask how Pierce’s departure will impact her sound and development moving forward. “We’re learning to make a lot more noise,” she says, though based on the success of the album so far, it’s clear that nothing will deter her from moving forwards with her music.

I’m constantly inspired by North East landscapes and the freedom of being outdoors

The desire to release an album has been building up ever since she released her five-track EP, ‘Ivy Crown’, back in 2014. “I’ve been chomping at the bit to get something bigger out, so Homes/Lives has been brooding over time”. The album pays homage, unsurprisingly to the North East, the place Endersby calls home.

“Living in Durham, I’m constantly inspired by North East landscapes and the freedom of being outdoors. That’s really important to me. I’m from a family of happy hikers,” she laughs. Speaking just days after the General Election, and with world politics bringing borders and identities to the forefront of so many discussions, I ask whether this is something that came into play when writing under the theme of home. After a short pause, she decides that yes, in a way, it has. “I feel very lucky to live in this part of the world, and sharing that is important to me. The people in this area are so welcoming.”

As a regular on the Durham folk scene, we chat about genres, and whether or not she feels limited by labels. “Homes/Lives is a collection of songs from over quite a long period of time, so it really tracks my progress and development as an artist”. From acoustic through to electronic, Endersby blurs the edges of the folk genre, not wanting to be put into a box. “It’s nice” she explains, “to be able to just create what you want and work on your own terms”.

Nicer still, I imagine, to spend your working days with your husband, especially when travelling. “It’ll just be the two of us on tour, and I’m really excited. Now that Curtis is no longer with us, Rich [Endersby-March] and I have been playing around with loop pedals and new percussion to make a bigger, slicker sound.” The pair embark on a ten shows in ten days challenge in November, kicking off with some local gigs before heading down south to London and Brighton.

Harri Endersby plays The Claypath Deli in Durham on Sunday 2nd July. Homes/Lives is out now.